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Following a nonpartisan study, Texas lawmakers from both political parties are calling on the Obama administration to provide the public with better access to information collected by the federal government.

A report Monday by the liberal Center for Effective Government found that only four of the 15 federal agencies that receive the most requests for public information deserved a “B,” none deserved an “A” and most of the reset flunked.

“The American people deserve openness and accountability from their government. The [group's] report reveals that the Obama Administration, despite all of its promises, is not transparent and that big, bloated government is inefficient and unresponsive,” said U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Dallas, in an emailed statement.

Sessions, who heads the House Rules Committee, is former head of the National Republican Congressional Committee and one of the most powerful figures in the Republican House majority.

“This administration has made a habit of selectively enforcing the law and it is time that it be held responsible for their actions. Republicans have worked to make the House of Representatives more open and accessible to every American and will continue to fight to hold the Administration to the same standard,” said Sessions.

Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth, said the report shows that federal agencies are not doing their job. He urged the U.S. Senate to pass Freedom of Information Act reforms that the House approved unanimously last month.

The liberal Center for American Progress is calling out Texas lawmakers who voted against the $819 billion stimulus in January – and are now asking the Obama administration for $3 billion in stimulus funds to bolster the budget of NASA, a major Texas employer.

This comes on the heels of a September audit that questioned the use of federal tax dollars by another Texan who scorned the stimulus: Gov. Rick Perry. The federal audit found that the Texas Health and Human Services Commission under Perry had billed the Medicaid program for nearly $300,000 in care and prescription drugs it shouldn’t have given legal and illegal immigrants.

2. Should students have the right to carry concealed weapons on college campuses? Is Texas going to give the gun lobby its big break on this issue? The Wall Street Journal has an interesting national roundup today.

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